Never Judge A Book by its Cover
by Loafy-Loaf
Summary: Annabeth was a patient woman. Years of world-saving can do that to a demigod. But this was just ridiculous! Follow Annabeth on her most ultimate quest: transform a Seaweed Brain into an admirer of literature. "Mark my words, Perseus I-don't-know-your-middle-name Jackson. I will convert you to the ways of literature if it kills me." "I'll order your tombstone in the morning, then."


Percy yelped, pulling his hand back. A line of blood appeared on his thumb, making him grit his teeth to stop the slew of curses. He fingered his pen-sword in his pocket, wondering if whipping it out now would alert the "enemy."

"Don't you dare!" a stern voice sounded behind him.

Turning, Percy caught sight of his girlfriend trying to send him a threatening glare behind the large box she was holding.

Busted.

"Don't I dare what?" Percy asked innocently, taking the box out of her hands with ease and setting it aside with its brothers.

Annabeth crossed her arms, giving him a "don't-you-try-to-be-cute-with-me" look. "I know what you were thinking. I will _not_ let you have Riptide near any of the merchandise!"

The demigod grinned sheepishly. This wasn't the first time his girlfriend had him figured out, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. "But it would be so much more time-efficient!"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You'd think a guy who kills ogres and giants every other Thursday would be able to handle a box cutter."

"It's not my fault these plastic-cord-thingys are stronger than Arachne's silk!"

"Oh shut up, Seaweed Brain."

Pouting, Percy dutifully turned back to (one of) the (many) stubborn box(es). He let out a cry of triumph when the cord finally snapped off. He folded back the flaps and reached inside, pulling out a handful of books.

"If you get blood on them, I'll never forgive you."

"Duly noted," Percy smirked, placing each book in their proper place on the shelf.

They worked in companionable silence, the only noise coming from the rustling of cardboard. The sun shone from the large pane of glass at the front of the shop, highlighting the dust particles that floated lazily. The smell of paper and ink filled the room, unconsciously making Annabeth relax her posture a bit. She smiled softly. There really was nothing as calming as a quiet room filled with books.

_SLAM! CRASH! _"OW!"

Too bad her boyfriend didn't feel the same way.

"Damnit, Percy, I told you to be careful!" Annabeth growled, brushing past him and grabbing the fallen book. She stroked the spine lovingly before sending a pointed look at the demigod.

"Gee, thanks Annabeth. Totally feelin' the love over here," he muttered, still holding his hurt foot while hopping on the other.

"Honestly, you should handle books with more care. Harry Potter can't take a bath in the River of Styx like you!"

Despite the (agonizing) pain, he put it back down on the ground and peered over Annabeth's shoulder to look at the cover. A young boy was sitting on a broom (scratch that: he wasn't even sitting on it; he was kinda floating over it if anything), hand reaching out for a golden ball with disproportionate wings.

"Harry Potter? Really? That series ended like years ago. Shouldn't you put newer books on the window display or something?"

Annabeth looked at him as if he had turned into a hydra and grew another head.

"Are you serious!? Harry Potter is like…a classic! A phenomenon in the world of literature! Literally! Every author wants to be the next J. K. Rowling! Her imagination is what we all aspire to achieve! It's a wave of raw ingenious that took the world by storm, a blinding beacon of inspiration, a-"

"Okay, okay!" Percy exclaimed, interrupting her winded rant. "I'll put it back."

He gingerly took the book from her hands and placed it back on the display, dusting the surface to appease her. "Are you happy now?"

Annabeth looked anything but. "So let me guess. You've never read any of the books in the series?"

Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "If it makes you feel any better, I've seen the movies."

It didn't.

"Omg, no, you can't even do that. Why? What made you think that watching the movies before reading the books was a good idea? (Wait, did you just say omg?) Congratulations, Percy. You just ruined life for yourself."

Percy, for once, rolled his eyes at the blond architect's antics. "Actually, I wasn't planning on reading them. Ever."

Was it possible for a healthy, young woman (with no past record of any heart problems) to suddenly go into cardiac arrest?

"I can't even look at you right now."

"…Would it help if I got you a blueberry muffin from that café across the street?"

"Mark my words, Perseus I-don't-know-your-middle-name Jackson. I will convert you to the ways of literature if it _kills_ me."

"I'll order your tombstone in the morning, then."

~oOo~

Percy leaned against the door of the shop, making the small bell tinkle softly. Annabeth looked up, grinning at the caffeine that he was shaking in front of her face.

"This is why I love you," she gushed, grabbing her drink and sipping the caramel goodness.

He smirked as he took a gulp of French Vanilla. "And here I was thinking you were only with me for my good looks."

"You'd be surprised how much of a gold digger I am."

"I'm more surprised by the fact that you actually know what gold digger means."

Annabeth swatted his shoulder, making him chuckle in reply. Grabbing a chair, Percy sat next to her behind the counter. With their knees touching, Percy bumped her shoulder, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Annabeth raised an eyebrow, unable to stop the grin that was spreading on her face.

Honestly, no matter how dorky her boyfriend may be, she couldn't feel happier.

After spending a few years as an Olympian architect, she had wanted to break away from the strenuous work and get back to the mortal world. So, riding on impulse really, she went out on a limb and bought a little store in the middle of Pennsylvania. It was a whole lot quieter compared to the bustling Big Apple, but it was a welcome change compared to the childhood of crazy life-or-death adventures. The Wise Owl (a name that Percy had chosen after finding an old owl trinket in the back) was a dream come true. The small store was located in the middle of Penn Avenue, a street filled with all kinds of cafes, restaurants, and random independent insurance companies.

"OUCH!" a familiar voice cried.

Then again, maybe there was a reason for all the insurance people.

"I fink your bookshore is 'rying to kill me," Percy mumbled, finger in his mouth to staunch the blood from his paper cut.

"Maybe it knows you're not a reader and is trying to help Mother Nature speed up the process of natural selection."

Percy stuck out his tongue and rustled in her drawers for a band-aid (something she stocked up on considering the company she kept). "Hey, you wanna go see a movie tonight?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Sure, why not? What movies are out?"

Percy ripped the wrapper off his bandage and expertly placed it over his wound with practiced ease. "Hmmm…what about that new Hunger Games movie?"

Her posture suddenly straightened, her stormy eyes lighting up excitedly. "Oh yeah, that comes out today!" She grinned, unable to stop herself from fangirling. "I hope it lives up to the books! But from what I've seen in the trailers, I'm sure that won't be a problem."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "…It's a book too?"

…Why does she do this to herself?

After about five minutes of disbelief, denial, irritation, and eventual acceptance, Annabeth stared at the ceiling, sighing. "Mother, give me strength."

She quickly slid off her stool and made her way to a shelf. Percy looked on bemusedly before jumping at the noise of her slamming something on the counter.

"These," she huffed, her hands sweeping over three books, "…are the books from _The Hunger Games_ trilogy."

"…Huh," Percy replied, scanning the cover art. The three paperbacks had a simple background color, all having some rendition of a bird with a long-ish beak. "…For such an action-packed plot, you'd think there'd be more KA-POW to the cover or something."

_WHAP!_

"Argh, seriously Annabeth?!"

Percy nursed his head as Annabeth placed _Catching Fire_ back down on the counter. "There is so much more to _The Hunger Games_ than morbid death, Percy! It's a hypnotic story of confusing love triangles, heart-wrenching goodbyes, and chilling apocalyptic what-ifs! The simple cover just magnifies the solemnity of the book."

"Have you ever noticed that you use really big words when you get frustrated?"

"Don't you dare try to change the subject! I mean seriously, how can you _not_ know about the trilogy?"

Percy shrugged. "I've been busy with work. Can't say I'm really up-to-date with the pop culture of today."

Which was true of course. After Annabeth's spontaneous decision of moving to the quiet ol' Keystone State, Percy dropped his oh-so-rewarding career as a waiter to help pay for half the rent. Now, with the summer heat returning with a vengeance, he works part-time as a lifeguard (which actually turns out to be enjoyable).

Suddenly Percy sat up straight, his eyes twinkling and mouth curved in that irritating (She did not think it was endearing. Nope.) smirk.

Cue Seaweed Brain moment.

"But of course, the second I saw the trailer, I just _knew_ that I had to watch this movie. Liam Hemsworth is so deliciously _hot!_" Percy confessed breathily, fanning himself.

Caught unawares, Annabeth dissolved into peals of laughter. "Oh my gods….you're such a loser!"

Percy simply grinned in reply. "Yes, but I'm a loser that gets to live another day." Throwing his empty cup in the basket, he pulled open the door and threw a cheesy wink in her direction.

By the time she realizes that she's supposed to be mad at him, her boyfriend was long gone.

~oOo~

This was it. Her last chance. One more attempt before writing the whole operation off as a lost cause and unnecessary stress enhancer. Honestly, if this doesn't work out, then nothing will.

Throughout the past couple of weeks, Annabeth had been working diligently on Mission "Get-Boyfriend-To-Read-More-Than-A-Billboard-Adver tisement." Her tactics ranged from a subtle comment to a rather obvious book to the face, but nothing seemed to work. They were either too thick, too girly, too serious, or too BOOK-LIKE.

But now she had the perfect book. It was funny (like Percy-funny), interesting (he might actually learn something from this), and the cover was pretty cool (lots of colors and stuff). One of the reasons he refuses to read was mainly because of the opinion he got from the five-second glance of the cover. Despite her protests, he never read the back, the book flaps, or even a single paragraph. It may or may not be driving her up a wall.

So, when they flipped the sign from "Open" to "Close," the young demigod cornered him and shoved the book into his hands.

"Another one? This is like the 34th book you showed me this week," Percy replied, turning the book over and examining the art with an air of amusement. He froze, staring at the surprisingly detailed cover.

Annabeth grinned. Hook, line, and sinker.

"This is book one from _The Kane Chronicles_," she said, barely stifling her yell of triumph, "It's pretty interesting since there's a lot about Egyptian gods and fighting. You know, the stuff you gush about with your TV shows?"

With more free time than what he knew what to do with (since most monsters prefer cities over small boroughs), Percy had been reacquainting himself with modern technology. This, of course, lead to a borderline obsession with all kinds of fantasy shows (Legend of the Seeker, Once Upon a Time, Ghost Whisperer, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, etc etc).

Annabeth is to books as Percy is to television.

"What's it about?" Percy asked, eyes still transfixed on the picture of a building being ensnared by tentacles.

"Well, it's about a brother named Carter and a sister named Sadie. Carter's fourteen while Sadie's twelve, and-"

Percy raised his hand, silencing his girlfriend before handing back the book. "Sorry, Wise Girl. I only care about characters ages sixteen and up."

Oooooooh, nooooo he didn't.

"What? Why?"

"They usually show more maturity. It's kinda annoying if I'm spending half the time banging my head against a wall because of some kid's stupidity."

"You mean like you?" Annabeth replied, barely believing that he would deny such an awesome book for something as trivial as _age_.

"Well, can't argue with that," Percy agreed, reaching for the broom.

Annabeth couldn't believe it. He was giving up _The Kane Chronicles_…for chores.

"That is it!" Annabeth exclaimed, flailing her arms in exasperation, "You, sir, are impossible! I give up!" She stomped away, making as much noise as possible.

Percy paused.

"…So does that mean I don't have to sweep anymore?"

~oOo~

This was dangerous; there was no denying. Months of practice had honed his "ninja" skills, but tonight is different. Annabeth had turned off the lamp, draping the room in a blanket of darkness. Usually she would fall asleep reading a book, leaving him to be the one to turn them off…or keep on, depending on what he was planning that night. Tonight was a "keep-on" night. Unfortunately, his girlfriend hadn't given him the choice.

His eyes had eventually adjusted, yes, but the beams of moonlight peeking out of the window wouldn't be enough. So, unable to hold it in any longer, Percy waited until he could hear the soft snores of his girlfriend before grabbing a flashlight. He turned on the switch and groped beneath his pillow.

After half an hour under the blanket, he resurfaced for some fresh air…and was met with a pair of stormy eyes.

"Percy? What are you doing up this late?"

Percy yelped, shoving his hands under the blanket and making himself look more suspicious.

Steel-grey eyes narrowed.

"What are you hiding?"

"N-nothing," Percy stuttered, cursing himself for his complete lack of a poker face. He never could lie to Annabeth.

The blonde quickly whipped the blanket of his person and gaped at the sight before her.

Percy Jackson, young world-saving demigod, was holding a flashlight and Jane Austen's _Pride and Prejudice._

"Oh my gods…Percy…are you…a _closet bookworm_?"

And let it be a lesson to be learned. One should never judge a book by its cover.


End file.
